Earthquakes
Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.4.1
Earthquakes
An earthquake is a sudden or violent movement within the Earth’s crust followed by a series of shocks. An earthquake happens when the Earth’s plates move and cause the ground to shake.
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Can happen at all 3 plate margins
- At divergent margins, pressure can build up from cracks in the plates when they move apart. This can cause earthquakes.
- At convergent margins, a plate can get stuck as it moves under another. This can cause earthquakes.
- At conservative margins, there can be friction between plates because they aren't smooth. This can cause earthquakes.
Caused by plates forcing their way past each other
- As plates move past each other, pressure builds up from the friction between them.
- When the pressure is sufficient, the plates give way. The tectonic plates will surge past each other and the ground will shake from this violent movement.
Measuring earthquakes
- Earthquakes are measured using the moment magnitude scale.
- The moment magnitude scale measures the magnitude of an earthquake by measuring how much energy is released by the earthquake.
Test yourself on Earthquakes
Where can earthquakes happen?
How Do Earthquakes Happen?
What are earthquakes?
What scale is used to measure earthquakes?